Revealing the quiescent galaxy population in the Spiderweb protocluster at z=2.16 with deep HST/WFC3 slitless spectroscopy

TL;DR

This study uses deep HST/WFC3 slitless spectroscopy to identify and analyze quiescent and star-forming galaxies in the Spiderweb protocluster at z=2.16, revealing a high quiescent fraction and insights into galaxy evolution in dense environments.

Contribution

It provides the first spectroscopic identification of quiescent galaxies in the Spiderweb protocluster, highlighting their properties and potential role of AGN in galaxy quenching at high redshift.

Findings

Approximately 50% of massive galaxies are quiescent.

Half of the quiescent galaxies may host AGN.

Quiescent galaxies are more compact than star-forming ones.

Abstract

We report the HST WFC3 G141 grism slitless spectroscopy observation of the core region of the Spiderweb protocluster at $z=2.16$. We analyzed the spectra of all objects in a $\sim 2 \times 2 \text{ arcmin}^2$ field of view and identified 40 protocluster members, recovering 19 previously identified H$\alpha$-emitters in addition to revealing 21 new members. The spectra allowed us to identify 11 galaxies with quiescent spectra. Three galaxies with quiescent spectra are possibly still star-forming according to SED fitting, indicating a possible left-over or dust-obscured star formation. We estimate a quiescent fraction of $\sim 50\%$ for $M_\star > 10^{11} M_\odot$. About half of the quiescent galaxies possibly host AGN, hinting at AGN's key role in quenching galaxies in the protocluster environment. These quiescent galaxies have relatively more compact and concentrated light profiles than the star-forming members, but they are not yet as bulge-dominated as local ellipticals. These results are consistent with previous studies that indicate the Spiderweb protocluster is in the maturing stage, with a red sequence that has begun forming.